[s3r]

I'd read about it but never would've believed the complaints of the HD280's headband cracking, but now I'm experiencing it full out. I like these headphones and wish they would've stuck around longer (got them 11/04), but alas! I am not so lucky. Granted, these things have spent more than their fair share just thrown into a bag with keyboards and mice whilst travelling to and from LAN parties, and have been thrown, and dropped, and put in backpacks, and so on... they've been abused and now they're breaking, go figure.

So now my distant-future upgrade has been fast-forwarded (much like when I totaled my car a few weeks ago).

I liked the sound of my HD280, except that I wish it had more bass overall, and more... high-fidelity? I listen to mostly rock but there's a bit of everything somewhere in my playlist, and I do first-person shooter gaming a lot, oftentimes competitively. My equipment is in the signature. Overall, I prefer the HD280 to the SR60, but there are times where I really appreciate the Grados for classic rock.

I'm probably after closed cans, as I already have my SR60s for rocking out at home, and when I'm at a LAN competition I really don't want to hear everyone talking around me. So there's the list of usual suspects:
DT770/80
A900/A500
... what else?

The DT770 seemed really attractive for build quality, velour pads, bass, and sound positioning... but it also seems a bit unattractive for, well, bass, as it seems from some reviews that it's just overpowering, and some complain about it being too bright (a complaint I've also read of the 280 but never agreed with) and having a recessed midrange.

The A500/A900 seem attractive because I've heard they're also great for gaming with solid bass but a flatter response than the DT770 - present bass but not as much potential to overwhelm. But the Ax00 also gets reports of not being so tough, which may or may not be a problem as I would have no problem taking better care of the new cans than I did the HD280, which felt tough so I threw it around, and now my wallet is paying the price.

Sorry for rambling, but it's getting late and I'm a wordy person. Thanks for any input on where I should go from here. Oh, price range - $100-170ish.

 

[Towert7]

Having owned the Senn HD280pro and DT770pro (250ohm), I can comment on these. I do not have enough time with the Audio Technica headphones to comment on them yet.

Pretty much, the DT770pro are similar to the HD280pro, execpt they do things better. They are much more comfortable, with less clamping force, less pressure on the head band, velour ear cups, strong plastics and metals, etc.

The bass on the HD280pro sounds very dry to me, and the DT770pro adds more weight to the bass without being boomy. And, there is more bass as well, but its not at a point where it's overpowering to me (and I can't stand the one note bass sub's people have in cars, drives me crazy). This is such a fun bass though, that's its very welcome! I keep saying it reminds me of the Grado RS-2 bass.

As others have said, the mids are slightly recessed, yet they are still as revealing as the HD280pro. The highs I find much less fatiguing in the DT770pro. For the price, I think these cans have great sound quality. (When listening to the K701 I kept thinking "Hm, these sound similar to the DT770pro, execpt they improve the mid range to where it should be" (in general)).

If you can still find the DT770/80 for about 170$, I would snatch one up.

Isolation will be slightly less than what you get from the HD280pro, but not by much.

For lan parties, where it gets hot and you use headphones for long periods of time, these headphones comfort really is a godsend. Plus, these headphones are amazing for watching movies, as well as FPS games!

You have the right idea though, and if you can get a chance to audition the beyer and audio technica, compare them and see which you like.

~Hope this helps

 

[s3r]

Thanks! I was really hoping to get some opinions from people with experience on the cans at hand. I've heard people have been getting the old-model DT770 80ohm for ~$140-150 from guitarinsider on eBay (puts them up for buy-it-now $200, but has a Make An Offer button through which people are getting the good prices). Definitely appealing.

 

[BushGuy]

I've had A500's and currently have dt770/80 (modded to Darth Beyers) - there simply is no contest for S.Q. and gaming..........the clearly superior choice is dt770/80. The aforementioned Guitarinsider has to be a make an offer deal. Also you can buy from Musikhaus Thomann.de..........or inquire to Herr Meier. Accept $160 as a good price to buy........if you can do better - go for it. I have also seen, recently, a couple of folks advertising them at very good prices on the F.S. Forum - even thought of buying one of those, despite already having my Darth Beyers..........then regressed to a sanity moment as to why I'd need a second pair.

 

[matthewcarlrose]

I'll probably get flamed for suggesting this but what the hell. For isolation u can't beat either ther Sennhisser HD25 with double headband (used alot in broadcasting where they need the isolation) and the HD25SP (used mainly by dj's).

They are both very good phones and dont really need to be amped too much to achive decent levels of bass and clarity - I have to be honest using them with my Millet resulted in alot of powerfull bass which was a little tiresome at times!

Anyways give them a go.

Matthew

 

[SprySpectre]

DT770/80 is the way to go. Having upgraded from the 280's to the DT880's (which have a very similar sound signature to the 770's, just open instead of closed), I know exactly what you're saying about wanting more bass and "hi fidelity." Before getting the 880's, I auditioned the 770's for about an hour at a guitarcenter, and was very impressed with the bass. I didn't find it overpowering, but I wasn't listening to bass-heavy tracks, the closest I came to that was Zeppelin.

I have auditioned the A500's as well (a friend in a dorm had them, so they were properly burned in), and for the money, they're not bad, but I'd get a A900 over them in a second. I think the DT770/80 would outshine both of them though.

 

[Preshure0617]

i had the same issue with my 280's that i got in 04 too. they fixed it for FREE under warranty. problem was solved so it must hve been a bad batch or something isolated.

send them in and theyll fix them for free. you can do it all on the website

 

[MCC]

When my HD-280's headband broke, I sent them in for "repair" under warranty. Except, I also sent along a check and a note containing authorization from a Sennheiser service rep for a trade up to the HD 595s. I ended up with a brand-new pair of HD-595s for only $90! You can probably do this with any of their other headphones, just get their permission to send in a check for the difference in MSRP first.

Edit: I forgot to add that the service guy called me after he looked at my old cans. Apparently the HD-280 cracking problem has been fixed, and he has not seen the new design break yet.

 

[s3r]

Ah! My wallet may yet be saved! I'll definitely check into the warranty repair, and the DT770/80 has gone back to the top of my list of cans to check out in the future. I may upgrade even if I get my HD280s fixed... we'll see. Thanks, guys, and more recommendations are still welcome!

 

[daweasel85]

Definitely send them back to Sennheiser. I bought mine in 10/04, and although I took pretty good care of them, cracks developed everywhere. When I bought my 555s I decided I was gonna send them back. They received them on the 5th of this month, and the replacement was at my door on the 14th. They had actually shipped them on the 12th. The nice thing about the RMA is that you get the updated status on their website, at least up to the point when it states that the package is being prepared for return to the customer. To me, that meant they were getting the package ready and at any moment they were gonna send me an email with a tracking number. What that actually means is that they already shipped the headphones back to you. I was waiting for an email and then all of a sudden, I get a package from UPS. Just be aware of that if you do send them for repair.

The ones I got were brand new ones. I sent my old ones to Connecticut. The new ones came from Illinois. The headband does appear much sturdier and is definitely of a thicker, different type of plastic than the one that broke on me. The ones that broke on me are just like the ones in the picture. I can't tell if these will break also since I'm going to be selling them, but from what I can tell I think they should hold up much better.

 

[threEchelon]

The headband on my 280's broke. How long does the warranty last and what do you need to send to verify purchase? And would I have to take the blu tak out from behind the drivers (blu tak mod) before sending them back?

 

[daweasel85]

The warranty is for two years. I sent in the original packaging along with a copy of the receipt. There's a good chance that you'll be getting new headphones, so if you want to reuse the blue tak, then take it out. It's really up to you. I don't think they go looking for any other adjustments you may have done to the headphones and then void your warranty.

 

[s3r]

I opened up the return authorization today, and I reprinted the invoice from the online vendor I ordered them from (newegg.com). I'll also be shipping them back in their original packaging, and I will be taking the blue-tak out... better safe than sorry.

I appreciate all the input, guys... here's hoping I get a new and improved pair of 280s out of the deal.